Senate Democrats want the GOP-led committee probing the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack to be dissolved and asked outgoing House Speaker John Boehner to do just that,
The Hill reports.
The demand comes amid outrage over House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's remark that the committee is being used as a tool to sink Hillary Clinton.
In a scathing letter to Boehner, Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer of New York, Patty Murray of Washington and Barbara Boxer of California write:
"It is unconscionable that the U.S. House of Representatives is continuing to use millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for political purposes, and we urge you to immediately disband the Select Committee on Benghazi."
They add that McCarthy's comment proves the Benghazi committee is out to hurt the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential front-runner instead of running "a serious investigation into a terrorist attack that killed four Americans.
"We should not disrespect their sacrifice by further politicizing this tragedy."
But Boehner quickly dismissed the request, denying that the panel's work has been driven by a focus on Hillary Rodham Clinton and saying its work will continue.
The remarks by Boehner, R-Ohio, came as Congress' top two Democrats said the committee should halt its work. But one of them, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., acknowledged that Republicans were unlikely to do that and said Democrats for now would continue their work on the panel.
"This investigation has never been about former Secretary of State Clinton and never will be," Boehner said in a written statement. He said Clinton and the Obama administration have obstructed the committee's work and added, "[t]he members of this committee have worked diligently and professionally to fulfill this important mission and they will continue to do so."
Pelosi told reporters that McCarthy's comments show that the committee is "an unethical operation" because Republicans have used taxpayers' money "for their own political purposes."
She added, "It's obvious it should be disbanded, based on the leader's own words."
McCarthy, who is expected to be named as Boehner's successor next week, told Fox News:
"Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable."
McCarthy has since attempted to backtrack on his controversial statement.
"These inquiries have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the consequences of what the former secretary has done and her confusing, conflicting and demonstrably false responses," his spokesman Matt Sparks said.
But White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said of McCarthy's words: "Leader McCarthy has committed the classic Washington gaffe of saying something that everybody already knows is true."
The House Benghazi Committee is staging a public hearing with Clinton later this month focusing on emails she wrote concerning the attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya that killed four Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.
As well, the Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing to learn from the Justice Department if a criminal investigation is underway into Clinton's use of private email account as secretary of state.
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